The Chipolopolo Boys will this evening (Wednesday) take on Tanzania at the 15,000 capacity Amani Stadium in Zanzibar in a Group E FIFA World Cup qualifier.
Coach Avram Grant will look to field his strongest team as Zambia still have a slim chance of making it to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
As Zambia faltered last month against Morocco, a match that went as it was expected, because of the quality of the Atlas Lions, the only positive was how lively Klings Kangwa looked.
The Hapoel Be’er Sheva midfield ace was at the core of the little spark and brilliance Zambia showed in that defeat.
The Happy Hearts product is set to once again orchestrate the midfield with masterful precision, pulling the strings like a skilled puppeteer.
His vision and control will most likely dictate the tempo of the game, and in most cases leaving opponents struggling to keep up.
As the maestro of the Zambia midfield, Kangwa’s exceptional passing range and ball control could allow him to manipulate the game, creating scoring opportunities for the likes of Fashion Sakala and Patson Daka upfront.
In the last 24 months Kangwa has established himself as one of if not Zambia’s best player. He is also very dangerous on set pieces.
In the absence of the injured Miguel Chaiwa, Coach Avram Grant could push Benson Sakala back into the defensive midfield role.
Kelvin Kapumbu has also returned to the set up and could be the man that takes over from the injured Hibernian FC workaholic midfielder.
Emmanuel Banda is also likely to join the midfield trio for today’s encounter as he has been one of Avram Grant’s trusted generals.
He has played 35 matches for Chipolopolo scoring once, last year against Sierra Leone and has set up 3 more goals.
ZESCO United’s Kelvin Mubanga Kampamba could also be an option in midfield with his creativity and ability to beat players.
Kemuka could also be introduced later on in the match as a game changer and Gift Siame is also available for selection.
Tanzania based Clatous Chota Chama is another player that could be deployed in the middle of the park and with his vision and creativity he could help create chances for the forwards.
Both Tanzania and Zambia are hoping to bounce back from losses, Zambia lost to Morocco while the Taifa suffered a home loss to Niger and a will could consolidate their hold on Second place in Group E.
The Taifa Stars are second in the group on 10 points with Niger lying third on nine while Zambia has six in fourth place.
Morocco has already secured their qualification with 21 points while three teams in Group E still have a chance to finish second and hope for a place among the four best-placed teams to make it to the play-offs.
The match kicks off at 21h00 at the Amani Stadium and will be live on SuperSport.
